Your Michigan Drivers License Could Be Useless Soon At The Airport

One of my friends went in to get his driver's license renewed at the S.O.S. office and was told: “We’ll go ahead and renew this now, but you need to bring in a passport or certified birth certificate in by October 1, 2020, if you want to be able to fly or enter federal facilities”.

WHAT, Seriously!? Short answer, yes.

As of October 1, 2020, you’ll need a new REAL ID-compliant license, to do anything that involves the federal government. This includes flying or entering federal facilities. The REAL IDs require more documentation via federal guidelines that make them more "verified" than just a state issued id.

Back in January of this year, Ruth Johnson, Michigan’s Secretary of State, announced that Michigan was now compliant with the federal requirements for REAL IDs.

To get the enhanced id, it’s fairly simple, unless you don't have or can't find the needed documents. According to WZZM 13, you need to take a passport (recommended) or a certified U.S. birth certificate with the raised seal. If your name is different because of marriage or divorce or other reasons, you’ll need the official name change documents (like a marriage license or divorce decree.)

The REAL ID law went into effect in 2005, in the wake of 9/11 and states have until October 2020 to be in compliance if they want their state-issued ids to be federally recognized. It took Michigan until January 2018 (almost 13 years) to finally get up to speed.

**You can also for a bit more, get an ENHANCED ID which is also REAL ID compliant, but with the ENHANCED ID, you can travel throughout the U.S., to Canada, Mexico, Bermuda and the Caribbean nations with just your license. Other International travel still requires a passport. **